Apple iPhone 6 with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays to be launched on 9 September

Invitations have gone out for a major Apple 'event' on 9 September - with iPhone 6 and iWatch expected to be unveiled

Apple is sending is out the invitations for a 9 September "event", which is widely anticipated to be the launch date of the new iPhone 6, Apple's flagship smartphone.

The phone is expected to sport a two gigahertz (GHz) A8 microprocessor, 2GB of memory and will run iOS 8. It is anticipated that Apple will offer a choice of 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch displays.

New features include a sapphire laminated display cover, a 13 mega-pixel camera, a 3000 mili-amp hour (mAh) battery and a sleeker case design.

However, the devices will be priced at a premium level. Analysts expect the 4.7-inch model to cost from $600 and the 5.5-inch model to cost $700 or more. Furthermore, China's Digitimes has suggested that the launches of the two iPhone 6s may be staggered, with one - believed to be the 5.5-inch model - pushed back to 2015.

At the same time, Apple is expected to launch the long-rumoured iWatch, Apple's first wearable device, which will integrate with Apple's Health interface that will be built in to iOS 8.

The launch comes as Apple's iOS operating system continues to lose market share to Android as new, cheaper Android phones start to flood the sub-£100 price point, bringing in new buyers - not just in Europe and the US, but also fast-growing emerging markets.

New web browsing figures from Netmarketshare indicate Android overtaking iOS with a market share of 44.62 per cent to 44.19 per cent in terms of overall web usage. Although unit sales of Android devices globally have far surpassed iOS for years, Apple had maintained a healthy lead in terms of actual usage - until now.

The figures may also support long-held rumours that Apple is working on a cheaper iPhone to replace the iPhone 4s in a bid to address its falling market share figures.

Netmarketshare's web browsing figures also indicate continuing struggles for BlackBerry, with a share of just 1.21 per cent to Windows Phone's 2.46 per cent - even the discontinued Symbian operating system would appear to be more widely used than both of them, though, weighing in at 2.57 per cent.